Emily sighed as she stared out the window at the falling snow. The rest of the team may have been itching to get home, but she was secretly glad that they had been out on a case. For once, she wouldn't have to endure her family's painful charade of a happy holiday, all the while sneaking enough alcohol to numb any adverse emotions. She was with her friends, the people closer than blood could ever be for her. Flights had been canceled for snow, but the UNSUB had been caught, and the team could sit down to a quiet dinner together and celebrate Christmas.

But she and Dave had been the last ones to leave the scene, and that had been their downfall. The heavy snow had turned even more vicious, and they hadn't been able to make it back to their hotel. Cursing under his breath in a mixture of English and Italian, Dave had finally made an executive decision and pulled into the first motel he saw. The vacancy sign was lit - for which they were both grateful - and they got their rooms without any problem.

Emily silently cursed the UNSUB for choosing to make his stand in some no-name town twenty miles away from the city they were staying in. Now instead of spending Christmas Eve with her friends, she was going to spend it alone in some cheap room without any dinner or alcohol.

Sometimes she really hated her job.

The wind had really picked up outside, and it took her a minute to realize that someone was actually knocking on her door. Frowning, she picked up her gun from the nightstand and moved across the room, leaning her face close to the peephole. When she saw who was outside, she set her gun down again and hurried to undo the locks and open the door.

"Dave?" she asked, practically pulling him inside. "What are you doing here?"

He gave her that look he reserved for when people were being particularly stupid, as he shook the snow from his hair and set down his bags.

"It's Christmas Eve, Prentiss."

"Trust me, I am well aware."

"Then don't be so surprised." Slipping off his coat, he hung it in the small closet next to the TV. "Open that bag, will you?"

She couldn't help but chuckle as she pulled out a bottle of whiskey. "Where on earth did you find this?"

"Find it? I brought it with me."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Only you, Dave." She watched as he emptied another bag on the bed. "What's that?"

"Dinner, of course." He paused, giving her that look that drove her insane. "You are hungry, aren't you?"

She approached him warily. "You can't expect me to believe that someone delivered food in this weather."

"I don't expect that at all," he replied, opening up the plastic silverware. "I went out and got it."

Emily's mouth dropped open slightly, and she turned to look out the window for a moment before returning her gaze to him. "But...why?"

Dave straightened up, his eyes meeting hers squarely. "It's Christmas Eve, Emily," he said softly. "Neither of us should spend it alone. Besides," he focused once again on the food, "you're one of the few people in this world I actually enjoy spending time with."

His words touched her, and she knew that he meant them. Crossing the room, she rested her hand on his arm. "Thank you, Dave."

He nodded without looking up, and handed her a plastic plate full of food. There was no table in the room, so they both sat on the bed, leaning back against the headboard. Emily was thankful that the TV was at least working, and they settled in to watch It's a Wonderful Life.

She tried to keep her eyes open. It wasn't often that she got to spend time alone with Dave while they were on the road, and she wanted to enjoy it. She had given up denying her feelings for him a long time ago, and she didn't miss the argument in her head. He was close, and he was warm, and she couldn't remember feeling this safe or comfortable with another person in a long time.

Maybe ever.

Her eyelids were fighting a losing battle, though. Her eyes kept sliding shut as James Stewart ran through the snowy streets, finally making it to his house. Emily knew the movie so well that she could almost recite it line by line, and she didn't need to see the pictures on the screen to see exactly what was happening. She drifted closer to sleep, lips curling into a smile as she saw the ending in her mind.

Until a warm hand slid over hers.

Emily's eyes flew open, and she stared up at Dave in surprise. But he just smirked at her and tugged at her hand.

"C'mon, Prentiss. You can't fall asleep before midnight."

She frowned even as she got to her feet. "Isn't that the rule on New Year's?"

"Works for Christmas, too."

The familiar words of Auld Lang Syne reached her ears, and she turned to see the final scene of the movie playing out. But her head whipped back around when Dave pulled her closer and they began to dance.

"Dave?" she whispered, her heart pounding.

His beard scratched against her skin as his mouth moved closer to her ear. "Do you want me to stop?" he asked, his voice low.

All Emily could do was shake her head and pull him closer. She vaguely noticed that the movie had ended and another taken its place, but it was only on the edge of her awareness. What she was sure of was that Dave's arms were around her and he smelled wonderful. She wanted to bury her face in his neck and just breathe him in, but she couldn't break the stillness of the moment. His hand was warm, pressed into the small of her back, and she let the distance between their bodies disappear.

"It goes both ways, you know," she murmured, her lips moving before her brain had a chance to catch up.

"What does?"

She pressed her cheek against his and whispered in his ear. "I like spending time with you, too."

Dave let out a long sigh, moving so that their bodies were completely touching. Then his head dipped low, and she almost gasped as his lips moved against her neck.

"Emily," he breathed.

She didn't notice when they stopped dancing, but then they were moving toward the bed again, and Dave was pulling her down beside him. The lights and TV were shut off, and the room was bathed in darkness. Emily could still the snow falling heavily from the sky through the window, everything washed in the lights from the motel's sign.

A hand on her face brought her attention back to the man lying beside her, though, and she barely had time to register that the clock had slipped past midnight when his mouth covered hers.

And when his body moved over hers in the darkness, she let him pull her under.